THIRD EVENING OF THE OUTBREAK...

The bus carrying Aaron and his friends took a small detour around the Bowland Fells. Groups of Deadmen grew more frequent throughout the forest, and one entire village was filled to the brim with them. As a result, the bus drove in one large circle around most of the villages in the Bowland Fells to get to Matheson Babel Tower.

But they couldn't be more satisfied once they finally arrived.

Matheson was a structure the size of a high-rise. It rose ten stories high and probably could've been higher if it weren't for the Deadmen attacking quicker than expected. The top of the building was a collection of steel beams climbing toward the sky without a purpose. Multiple lights were scattered all over the building's exterior, some as searchlights and others shining through the windows. Two small watchtowers hovered over the entrance into the building, a floodgate-like door that slowly cranked open to let the buses in.

"Ladies and gents," Shaw spoke. "Welcome to Matheson."

The sun had set an hour ago, but the moon had shone as brightly over the open field Matheson stood in. Many of the people on the bus had fallen asleep ever since the incident with the other bus, including Jonah, Kat, and Nika. Aaron stayed awake to watch where their bus was headed and to apparently serve his new purpose as Nika's headrest.

The doors to the tower had cranked open all the way, and the two remaining buses trudged in. Aaron was relieved to see that there were several other buses in the garage with them, about six or seven others. He was glad more people had been saved. Mrs. Hecox felt the same way, made evident by her smile at the sight of a family embracing outside the bus.

Once their bus had halted, the doors opened up and the citizens carefully made their way out. Aaron shook Nika awake and took her hand as they followed the others out. Natalya caught a glimpse of the two and shoved Aaron away, forcing Nika to go in front of her while Aaron stayed behind with Jonah and Kat. "Well, that was rude," Jonah said.

The kids had rejoined Mrs. Hecox outside, and once everyone was out, the AIS officers gathered in a circle. Shaw stood in the middle of the garage surrounded by the hundreds of survivors he and his forces had picked up throughout the country.

Then the crackling of the walkie-talkie echoed through the garage. Shaw picked it up. "Keep those doors open!" he heard the familiar voice of Schaefer exclaim.

"Colonel?" Shaw said in disbelief. "You're still alive?"

The citizens looked out the open entrance to see an APC driving toward the tower. Some of them panicked as they ran to the sides of the garage to make room for the oncoming vehicle. Aaron tried to grab Nika's hand again, but Natalya got in the way and grabbed it before he could. "She's my sister," she scolded. "Find someone else to pull around!"

"Yeah, like us!" Jonah chimed in as he and Kat dragged Aaron by the shoulders toward the wall. "Sorry, bruv. I swear I didn't mean that."

"Finally, you got the timing right," Kat added.

Once everyone was farther away from the entrance, a large open space took up the middle of the garage, just the right size for Schaefer to park his vehicle. And soon the APC skidded to a stop, leaving behind dark tire marks practically burned into the floor. The doors back into the outside world proceeded to close, officially welcoming these citizens into their new home.

Schaefer stumbled out of the vehicle and quickly unholstered his gun, aiming it at Lavinia, who casually sat back into her seat with that deliriously gleeful look on her face. He motioned several AIS officers to approach him and told them, "Give this bitch the honor of being Matheson's first prisoner. I'll deal with her later. I've had a really terrible day, so I'll just take it out on her."

The AIS officers opened up the other door of the vehicle and hesitantly restrained Lavinia, all of them disturbed by the blood she practically drowned in. The citizens around them didn't struggle to hold back their disgust as many of them watched in horror as the soldiers dragged her out of the garage toward the prison level. She laughed like a witch the entire time, and her cackles eventually faded out the further she moved out of the garage.

"She ain't right in the head," Jonah said.

"We can see that, Sherlock," Kat replied.

"Pardon the interruption, ladies and gents," Schaefer continued, clearing his throat. "Welcome to Matheson Babel Tower, your new home as we wait out this undead uprising. There are over ten stories of flats waiting to be occupied, each one big enough to fit families of up to six people."

"This is the garage of the Anti-Infection Squad," Shaw took over. "After today, no one other than AIS personnel is allowed in here. This is our only entrance back into the outside world, and after today it is no longer the safest place to be."

"The first floor," Schaefer said, "will be the tower's commonplace area. It will contain everything you need for the next few years. Food rations, entertainment, agriculture, and the closest thing your children can get to a good education. Every floor above it is exclusively residential."

"Any questions?" Shaw asked.

Mrs. Hecox raised her hand. "How are the flats?"

"Well, given the fact we came here urgently, we didn't have enough time to make them luxurious," Shaw replied. "Every room in this tower is a studio apartment with a private loo. Fortunately, each room also has furnishings, a radio, and a dumbwaiter for special deliveries such as medication and clothing. And we can add as many beds as you need."

Schaefer walked over to Shaw and whispered something in his ear. "Correction. We are limited in beds, so first come, first serve."

A round of chuckles sounded through the crowd of citizens, lightening the mood a bit. Even Shaw formed a small smile on his face, something no one would ever see for the rest of Matheson's days.

"Before we hold a brief infection inspection," Schaefer said, "we'd like to escort all families with children out into the Commons. Everyone else above the age of eighteen, stay where you are." He looked over at Shaw and another one of their comrades named Hugh Richmond. "You two, carry on the test."

Both Shaw and Richmond cocked their guns. "Yes, sir," they said in unison.

Schaefer led the way as Mrs. Hecox and her children along with other families who had kids followed behind them. They walked in a line down a metal corridor toward two doors. Schaefer pushed it open to reveal the closest thing to a village they would ever see again.

Small cube-shaped buildings were scattered around the floor like a little shopping district. They were yet to be inhabited, so they looked lonely and almost as abandoned as the rest of the world beyond the tower's walls. If you looked up into the sky, you could see the stars twinkling above the metal labyrinth of beams that signaled the limit of the building's height. Balconies hung off each floor, and the citizens would be protected from falls by simple railings as they traversed to their flats.

"So, miss..." Schaefer said, immediately pausing at the realization he didn't know Mrs. Hecox's name.

"Agatha Hecox," she replied, holding her hand out for him to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you," Schaefer replied, shaking her hand. "I know these are not your biological children, but I believe a family can be based on bonds rather than just biology. So in honor of you and your children's bravery, you all have the entire third floor to yourselves."

Mrs. Hecox and the kids' mouths gaped open in surprise. "R-R-Really?" Mrs. Hecox stuttered.

"Well actually, it's up for offer. You kids can either share a room or two, or you can all use each flat as your own private bedrooms."

The members of the Cod Squad gathered together around Mrs. Hecox and Kat. "Looks like you're finally gonna have to start talking to us again, Natalya," Nika chuckled.

"I'll try not to," Natalya groaned.

"Natalya, don't be rude," Mrs. Hecox said. "We're all we have left, so we might as well learn to get along as best as we can."

"But what should we do, miss?" Jonah asked. "Are we gonna take up the entire floor or what?"

* * *

"One room, it is," Jonah said, rubbing his tired eyes. "That's fine. It's not like I had claustrophobia or anything."

"Cover your eyes, boys!" Mrs. Hecox yelled from the bathroom.

Aaron and Jonah covered their eyes with their hands. Both of them wore clean sets of pajamas delivered to them from the dumbwaiter shaft. They sat on a couch in the corner of the room with Nika and Natalya, who wore fresh new nightgowns also gifted from the AIS. The twins were laying down on one of three mattresses, particularly the one closest to the couch. All of them had finished taking showers and were getting ready for bed, only waiting for Kat to finish up.

Mrs. Hecox escorted Kat out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body as water dripped down her legs. They walked over to the dumbwaiter to fetch her clothing, but the boys didn't understand why Kat couldn't have just waited in the loo for Mrs. Hecox.

"The temptation is killing me," Jonah whispered. "Are you done yet?" he asked as he pulled his hands away from his eyes.

"Don't look yet!" Kat exclaimed, nearly dropping her towel.

"Now you're just making me want to look even more! And not even in a perverted away! If anyone tells me not to do something, it just makes me want to do it!"

Mrs. Hecox helped Kat dress into her nightgown and took the wet towel back into the bathroom. "Okay, you boys can look now," she said.

Aaron and Jonah moved their hands away. The two of them glanced at Kat. She looked prettier now in that gown, almost like if she increased in innocence. "You smell nice," Jonah said.

"Thanks?" Kat replied awkwardly. "It feels weird. I've never worn a dress before, even if this one is just for sleeping."

"You get used to it, dear," Mrs. Hecox replied. "Now let's be off to Bedfordshire."

"Pretty sure that place was taken over by Deadmen," Aaron said.

Kat glanced at Jonah. "I thought poor timing was your thing."

"It sometimes rubs off on him," Jonah replied.

And with that, the group let out a few chuckles, another sign that there wasn't much to worry about. Sure, the room was cramped and four of them had to share mattresses on the floor, but they were all happy to be together. They would make the most of what they had.

"I'm saying it's time to sleep, dear," Mrs. Hecox replied with a smile. She took turns giving each kid a hug and a kiss on the cheek before tucking them into their sheets. Natalya and Kat awkwardly shared a mattress, but luckily for Natalya, Kat fell asleep as soon as her head made contact with the pillow. And it warmed the kids' hearts to see that she had fallen asleep with a smile on her face.

Jonah and Aaron scooted into the sheets on their mattress. Nika took the bed that was already in the room before they arrived there all for herself, which was also the biggest and most comfortable out of all of the resting spots in the room, while Mrs. Hecox slept on the couch. Mrs. Hecox said one more goodnight to her kids before turning off the lights, signaling the end of their day.

At least for four out of six of them.

"Aaron," Nika whispered. "You still awake?"

"Yeah," Aaron replied. "I'd prefer not to be."

"Come up here. It's more comfortable."

"But won't Mrs. Hecox get mad? Or Natalya?"

"They're too fast asleep to notice. I'm still saying this bed is more comfortable."

Aaron yawned. "If you say so."

He slowly rose from his sheets off the mattress. The bright glow of the moonlight through the flat's one window guided his way toward Nika as he tiptoed over his friends. The coldness of the metal floor and the other mattresses getting in his way didn't help at all.

But once he finally reached Nika, she scooted over toward the wall to make space for him. He crawled into the sheets and sunk his head into the pillow. "Meh," he said. "It kinda feels like the one on the floor."

Then Nika moved closer to Aaron and snuggled against him, nuzzling her wonderfully soft hair against his neck. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arm around him. "I think it's pretty comfortable," she said, noticeably happier.

Thanks to the darkness of the room, Nika couldn't see Aaron blushing. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said nervously.

"Goodnight," she sighed. And she nuzzled in closer one more time for the night.

Aaron wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. "Goodnight," he replied softly.

Not another sound came from the room that night as the kids were finally at peace. And eventually, life in Matheson would be a lifestyle considered normal.